Mistaken Identity
by Kitsuneforlife
Summary: Cursed with the face of another, a ninja tries to find a light in her own personal darkness. Fates interlock in this compelling tale of love, hate, and everything in between.
1. Prologue

**Mistaken Identity**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

**Prologue**

"What will you do when I die?" the sad, gentle voice of a young woman asked. She turned weeping eyes to her immortal lover. He was so beautiful, and time after time, she would wonder what he saw in her. He had the most gorgeous yellow eyes and the strangest silk-like orange hair. His skin was fairly tanned, and he held a surreal look. Although he was in a humanoid form, he held his demonic characteristics—fangs and claws, to name a few. She had never seen his demon form before, but she guessed that it was just as beautiful. She couldn't imagine leaving him to this world without her. "How would you cope without me?"

Her voice was beautiful, yet the grief of it wrapped around his heart in constricting pain. He would not allow her to die. Yes, the fates were cruel, making her a mortal, but he would defy the fates. Ever since she came into this world, she changed his outlook on life. She was his world.

His gaze drifted to her deep blue orbs. A tear streaked down her cheek. He hated when she cried—it pained him beyond anything that words could describe. He reached toward her face, careful of his clawed hand, and wiped her tears away. He leaned in, placing a comforting kiss on her brown hair, assuring her that everything would be alright. "You won't die, I will not allow it."

She knew what he spoke were lies. She would grow old and die, or perish early because of a disease. She hated being mortal. "You can't stop it."

He pulled her into his lap, embracing her; he didn't know what else to do. He nuzzled her hair with his chin. He didn't want to think of his life without her. He wouldn't have a reason for living. His life would be bleak, and he would be so alone. "Without you, I would be nothing. I would follow you in death so that we can be together in the afterlife."

Her tears slowed. Of course he would never allow them to be separated. Her lips twitched, the edges upturning into the slightest smile. She would not have to be without him, ever. However, she frowned. She didn't want him taking his life—not for her, not for anyone.

He was silent, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Her voice interrupted his thoughts, but he silenced her with his lips. It was full of passion—as was everything that he did for her. Her hands tangled in his hair—he loved her responses to him.

She pulled back, gasping for air. She hadn't forgotten that he didn't answer her question, and she was determined to get him to answer. She idly played with a strand of his orange hair that had escaped from his hair tie. "Can you promise me something?"

He was quick to reply. He would do anything for her. "Anything you want."

"If I were to die, as much as I would love to have you with me, can you promise me that you would live on? I don't want you to commit suicide. I would be forever guilty." She looked into his eyes, searching for the answer.

His eyes widened. For the first time since their time together, she was asking too much. How could she expect him to live without her? He couldn't bear the thought of living one second without her. "Would you condemn me to a hell without you?" He looked at her eyes; the blue pools were still spilling water. He closed his eyes to avoid the shimmery gaze. It wasn't fair—the power she had over him was insane. Her tears caused him pain, and he didn't like the fact that he had caused them. Reluctantly, he nodded his head in agreement.

"I want to hear you say it." A nod wasn't a good enough promise. It was shallow and it meant nothing. She wanted to hear the words.

"You are going to kill me one of these days." He didn't want to make a promise that he wouldn't want to keep. He tried to avoid that intense gaze. His efforts failed. He had to look at her. The sight of her tears, once again, undid him. "I promise you that if you were to ever die, I would continue my existence."

She nodded her thanks, unable to find her voice. He made her so happy, so complete. A genuine smile graced her features, and she wiped her tears with the back of her hands.

That smile—he would do anything to have the woman in his arms smiling forever. It was his sunshine, his light. And he was nothing more than putty in her hands. The irony of the situation was… amusing—him, a great demon, being the puppet to a human. _If it was her, _he wouldn't have it any other way, though. "I love you more than anything."

Too lost in the human, he didn't realize that there was someone watching from afar.

A malevolent chuckle caused the fox demon to tense and go on the offense. This wouldn't be the first time that the person had approached him, seeking his power.

He pushed his mate out of his lap and told her to run. She nodded and did as she was told. When she was out of sight, he turned to the unseen intruder; a growl was torn from his throat. "Show yourself, now!" His chakra flared, engulfing him in red energy.

0-0

Adrenaline raced through her blood, pumping her legs as fast as her human limits would allow. Something wasn't right, and for her love to go on the offense like that, it had to be dire. She weaved throughout the trees of the night forest. She was no ninja, yet she had a great deal of agility.

She felt uneasy—somebody was watching her. She tried to run faster, but the tiredness in her legs and the burn in her lungs prevented that. Gradually, she slowed, cursing her body for being so weak. She had to survive!

The same chuckle that she heard when she was with her lover surfaced through the trees—embracing her, mocking her. She didn't like it, but there was nothing that she could do other than to run. This was all an illusion, right? It had to be.

Exhaustion consumed her, causing her to trip over her own feet. Panic arose, and it felt like she couldn't draw enough breath. She _willed_ her body to move, but it ignored her.

Footsteps advanced on her, cracking twigs in their wake. She shook with fear. Who was it and what did they want? She forced herself onto her hands and knees to crawl away, only to be stopped by a stomp on her back. The air rushed out of her lungs, leaving her gasping for air. A kick to the side caused her to roll onto her back. She held her side and coughed up blood. A hand grabbed her by her hair and lifted her off the ground. It felt like her scalp was on fire!

Despite the pain that flowed through her, she opened her eyes to see her captor. Red eyes with black pupils and three black dots circling the pupil greeted her. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. Her attempts of wriggling free proved to be futile.

A white hot pain shot through her throat—she knew that she was done. Her windpipe filled with blood and she could do nothing but choke as her precious vital fluid left her body at an extremely fast pace.

Her vision clouded over with black spots. Her last dying thoughts were that of her love. She smiled weakly in her last seconds, knowing that she was loved by the greatest man—demon—on earth. Her body fell limp and it was discarded on the ground as her killer walked away.

0-0

He blitzed through the forest. The imposter was just a shadow clone, so the real one was elsewhere; he had a bad feeling about this. He followed his mate's scent as it weaved through the forest. The scent was overcome by the metallic smell of blood and he stopped in his tracks.

Denial washed through him, and he resumed his trail. She couldn't be injured… or dead. He had_ never _been afraid of _anything_ no matter what it was. For the first time in his life, fear washed through him. His heartbeat increased in anticipation. He had to get to her, fast!

The smell of blood burned his nose; he was so close. A frail, bloody figure caught his eye and he stopped running. He held his breath and prayed that it wasn't what he thought it was. Upon further inspection, he discovered that the corpse was indeed his love. He dropped to his knees in front of her, cradling the figure to him. He didn't care that his clothes were now stained with her blood. He gave a gentle shake, hoping that she would wake up. He pressed his lips to her forehead. "Love, I'm here. You're safe now. Please, wake up. Wake up." His endeavors were, however, pointless. His love was lost to him.

Pain wailed up into an unbearable ache. His world was destroyed. His vision turned red and he roared into the night, his chakra erupting. His power was so strong that an earthquake emitted from the ground.

His skin ripped and orange fur exploded out of it. Nine tails slashed angrily through the air. Sharp teeth were exposed due to his snarling. Large paws slammed down to earth, destroying nearby trees and vegetation.

Kyuubi was broken.

**Chapter End**

Reviews are greatly appreciated. I want to know how this chapter is accepted and if I should continue this story. I also want to know your personal thoughts about this story. Future chapters will be longer, much longer. Reviews fuel my motivation.


	2. Chapter 1

**Mistaken Identity**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**Chapter One**

She shot up in bed in a cold sweat, looking around for a source of danger. Despite her panic, she found none. She was in her bedroom, and no threat was present. She grew tired of always awaking in anxiety. It didn't make sense—there was never a cause to be so riled up. She raked a rough hand through her tousled hair—a sign of irritation.

The bright red digital letters of the clock taunted her in the dark room; she was up three hours early. The whole lack of sleep thing was getting old, quick. Seriously, what was wrong with her? Why couldn't she be like normal people and sleep until the alarm clock screams at them? She couldn't recall a time when she slept until then. Maybe she needed medication.

She yawned and threw her legs over the edge of the bed, resting her bare feet on the carpeted floor. She shivered from the lack of warmth that her covers had provided. Glancing back at the warm, inviting bed, she frowned. Once again, her bed was angry with her for attempting to abandon it. The comfortable pillow called out to her, begging her not to go. After a few moments of contemplation, she obliged her pillow's desire, lying back in the bed. She had some time, so why waste it?

A few minutes of tossing and turning later, she gave up. Her efforts to go back to sleep had proven to be unsuccessful, thoroughly aggravating the girl. After a round of mumbled profanities, she untangled herself from the covers and got out of bed. Lying there, doing nothing would be unproductive, and today was the day of graduation exams. She glared at the bed—like it had committed a crime—before walking out of the room. A shower would do her some good right now.

0-0

She re-entered her room, wearing nothing but a towel, and turned on the light switch. The soft blue walls were revealed under the light's caress. The room was average sized, containing nothing more than a bed, a desk, a mirror, and a chest. She sauntered over to the large chest, pulling out her clothes for the day. It was nothing special—a simple pair of black capris and a white tank top.

With her attire in order, she went to the mirror, fixing her hair into a high ponytail. She would never understand why some females would wear their hair down. If you're going to an academy to learn how to be a ninja, then why the heck would you wear your hair down? Beauty queens, who cared more about looking good, rather than becoming a ninja, annoyed her.

She wandered downstairs into the kitchen after she was finished getting ready. Going to the academy without eating wasn't a very smart idea—she had learned that the hard way. Not only did she _forget_ to stay awake in class, but she was also ineffective in her training. Never again would she make the same mistake.

She enjoyed the serenity of a quiet house when her parents were asleep in the morning. Morning conversations were not her thing. In fact, conversing wasn't on her list of favorites at all. She didn't exactly have the greatest social skills on earth.

She prepared some rice, nothing too drastic. Cooking was not on her list of skills, however, almost burning the house down repeatedly was—if that could be considered a skill. She downed her rice in record time, eager to get in some training time before class started. She left the house without notifying her parents. They were used to her being gone before they woke up.

The summer wind played with her ponytail, willing it to turn various directions. A small smile tugged at her lips. It was dark and quiet outside, quite the calming atmosphere. Mornings like this exhilarated her. A morning run would do her some good, but she couldn't indulge this time.

If she wanted to pass the test today, then she would have to work on her techniques. Although she was fairly decent in taijutsu, she sucked horribly in ninjutsu. She prayed that Iruka-sensei didn't have ninjutsu on the graduation test. It would be her downfall. She wasn't a horrible student, she had the knowledge. However, she failed when it came to acting out her knowledge by the usage of chakra. Her mother often tried to talk her out of becoming a ninja, but she wouldn't listen. It was her lifelong dream to become a jounin, and she would stop at nothing to reach her dream.

She reached her preferred training grounds—a small clearing surrounded by tress with a river sitting in the middle. It was peaceful, providing the perfect place to practice. She breathed deeply through her nose. Sure, her ninjutsu sucked, but she had improved over the years, slowly. She formed the proper hand signs, channeling her chakra. She exerted her energy, hoping for a decent clone. A cloud of smoke appeared beside her, and she waited for it to clear. A very poor replica of herself appeared, causing her eye to twitch. The thing looked like it had one foot in the grave. She growled and undid the jutsu. How mortifying.

The sound of a snicker reached her ears, causing her cheeks to turn a slight pink. Okay, where was an enormous rock? She needed to crawl under it and hide from the world. Her embarrassment was soon overpowered by anger. Yes, she knew she was bad, but it was plain offensive to sit there and laugh at her; she was doing her best! "You're so rude, you know that?" She received no response, so she turned her attention back to practicing. She would show whoever it was that she could make a perfect clone. How dare they mock her?

She performed the hands signs, once again, exerting her chakra. Another puff of smoke appeared, revealing an unconscious clone lying on the ground. Yet again, another small snicker emerged from the trees. Important rule of surviving humiliation: when making yourself look stupid, blame somebody else. "I only messed up because you distracted me! Don't you have anything better to do with your time?" Still the person gave no response.

This time she would get it. Her pride was on the line. She produced another clone of herself. This time, she had her body down, there was only one flaw—there was no head on its shoulders. Hell, it didn't even have a neck. She blinked at the clone a couple of times, wondering if things could get any worse. If she thought that the spectator's snickers were bad before, it was full blown laughter now. She disengaged the jutsu, reluctant to do it again, at least not while somebody was watching. "You know, you are starting to get very, very annoying! And that clone had character!"

The laughter continued, causing her to clench her hands into fists. If the person was smart, then they would run—fast and far. Without warning, she used her agility to launch herself in the direction where the laughter was from. She tackled the person, and they tumbled along the ground. The person landed on top of her. Really, next time she would need to think of a better plan.

"That was fun! Let's do it again!"

Wait, what? She groaned and threw her arm over her head. Only one type of person would say that being attacked was fun. _'Damn it, you just had to go and attack a kid didn't you?'_ She let out an exasperated sigh. She didn't know what to do with a kid. Sure, they were cute, but only when she didn't have to have any form of contact with them. Why was a kid out and about at six in the morning anyways? "Where are your parents? Do they know where you are?"

The small boy stood and rubbed the back of his blonde spikey hair with his hand. "I don't have any." He smiled a carefree smile, closing his blue eyes in the process.

She studied the kid as she stood and brushed the dirt off of herself. She felt guilty for going off on him earlier, and even guiltier that he was orphaned. He was so young, without a care in the world. She sighed. It was dangerous for a child to wander around like this. As much as she would love to ignore him and continue training, she couldn't. She would have to take him home to ensure his safety. "Come on, I'm taking you home." She grabbed the young boy's hand and began to walk away; she stopped when he started to struggle. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to go! I want to stay here and watch you fail!"

Her eye twitched. "No." The only thing the boy did while he was watching was laugh at her. She looked at the pouting boy and regretted it. Why did he have to be so adorable? He looked like he was about to cry, causing her to panic. She didn't know how to deal with a crying kid. "No tears!"

"Will you let me stay if I don't cry?"

'_Damn con artist.'_ She stooped down to the boy's level, giving him a stern look. She had one more card to play. "I don't want your guardian getting upset with you because you weren't home." And she was not taking the blame.

"They don't care. They never did. They're probably glad that I'm not there." His expression turned gloomy.

Her heart ached. Just how bad was this child treated? She sighed. She wouldn't put her name on the list of people who was mean to the boy. She would feel too guilty. "You can stay, but _only_ this time, you got it?"

The boy perked up almost instantly. "Thank you, miss lady!"

'_Don't hit very adorable kid who just played you.'_ She forced a smile and headed back to the clearing with the boy in tow. "And let's clear one thing up. My name is Tadeshi Miyuki, not miss lady." She found an appropriate spot on the ground and pointed to it. "Sit…whatever your name is."

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and don't treat me like a kid. I'm seven!" He stamped his foot on the ground to prove his anger.

A flat look crossed her features. He was a little short to be seven, but that was beside the point. "Do whatever, just don't disturb me." Stupid self-conscious, not allowing her to ditch Naruto. She turned her back on him and put some distance between them before attempting another clone. After another pitiful looking clone and another round of laughter from Naruto, Miyuki undid it. She glared at the boy, but he ignored her. "Do you mind?"

"That was terrible, Miyu-chan!" Naruto shouted between laughter.

She took a few deeps breaths, refraining from choking the boy. He didn't have to be so blunt about it! Her poor pride was wounded, yet again, by a seven year old brat. "Don't call me Miyu."

"Okay, Miyu."

Did he not just hear her? Whatever, she didn't have time to argue with a child. She rolled her eyes at the boy. "Can you be seen and not heard?" When Naruto nodded eagerly, she went back to her shadow clone training, or at least tried to.

"Miyu."

She ignored him, playing it off like she didn't hear him.

"Miyu-chaaaaaaaan!"

Miyuki pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. A headache was definitely trying to arise. She had to remind herself that this was a kid and not to get angry, but it was sort of hard. After a few moments of collecting herself, she looked at Naruto, waiting for an answer. When he only laughed, she sighed. "Tell you what, kid—"

"Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Right, Naruto, if you sit there quietly then I will…." What could you bribe little kids with? They liked candy, yeah. "I will buy you some candy." That should shut him up, and it wouldn't be too hard on her allowance.

"No way!"

Insolent little brat! "Then what? I would do anything to get you to be quiet right now." She was desperate for the quiet. If she couldn't have serenity, then she couldn't train. If she couldn't train, then she couldn't pass the test. And she would be damned if she failed.

Naruto didn't answer, so she assumed that he wouldn't say anything. Wrong!

"I want ramen."

She hung her head. She shouldn't have ever said that she would do anything. There goes her piggy bank. It didn't help that it was almost empty either. "Okay fine, but you have to be quiet until I'm done training. I will take you to get ramen after I leave the academy later, deal?"

"Deal!"

Miyuki growled at Naruto. It should have been illegal to be such a cute little brat. Never mind him at the moment though. She formed the proper hand signs. "Clone Jutsu!"

0-0

"Faster, Miyu-chan!" Naruto yelled, releasing Miyuki's neck.

"Stop calling me that! And don't let go, you idiot!" Miyuki yelled, running on forest's floor. Somehow, Naruto managed to convince her to give him a piggy-back ride on their way back to the heart of the village; she was done with her morning training. He was lucky that he was a light weight.

"But it feels like I'm flying!" Naruto laughed.

She rolled her eyes. How did she manage to get stuck with a kid? Even worse was that he was a very loud and bratty kid. "Where do you live anyways?"

"I stay at the orphanage."

Miyuki flinched. She had forgotten that the boy had said that he didn't have parents. Her heart went out to him. If she was in his shoes, she probably wouldn't be so happy.

She slowed her run to a walk when she broke through the trees. People were starting their days and occupying the streets. Normally they wouldn't notice her, but today they all seemed to stare—at least the adults. Wasn't it normal for children to receive piggy-back rides?

The civilian's stares turned into glares, and they quickly went on their way. _'That's odd.'_ Miyuki shook it off and headed in the general direction of the orphanage. All the way there, people had the same reactions—stop, stare, glare, and then walk away. She was getting annoyed, and was about to go off on the villagers until Naruto's voice reached hers.

"Just let me off here. The orphanage isn't far."

Miyuki stopped for a second. He wasn't the carefree boy who was annoying her while she was training. He sounded weird. Was she missing something? "Are you sure you don't want me to walk you all the way? I mean we're practically there already."

"No."

"If you insist." She crouched down and let Naruto slide off of her back. She watched him as he ran away, vanishing from her sight. She tilted her head to the side in confusion. After a moment, she shrugged and continued home. She needed to change clothes.

0-0

"We will now start the final exam. When your name is called proceed to the testing room. The final test will be on the clone jutsu."

Miyuki slammed her head on the table in front of her with a groan, earning weird looks from her classmates. This whole test was a conspiracy against her—it had to be. Of course Iruka-sensei would choose the one thing that she sucked at and turn it into the graduation test. Lucky her.

She closed her eyes and took some deep breathes. _'I can do this. I didn't train vigorously for this day to fail now. I've gotten this far, and I will go farther. Besides, you did make some decent clones earlier.'_ She lifted her head, rubbing her forehead in the process. When did the tables get so hard?

One by one, she watched her classmates leave the room for the test. She pulled her fingers away from her mouth, studying her shaky hands. She wasn't aware that she was biting her nails. Her nerves were shot.

"Tadeshi Miyuki."

She swallowed hard. This was it. One mess up on her part and she would be stuck in this academy until she passed. She forced herself to put one foot in front of the other until she had made it out of the classroom. Slowly but surely, she walked over to the testing room, hesitating when she was mere inches from it.

This is where she would pass or fail. Either outcome would determine her future. She grabbed the doorknob with a shaky hand. She could pass—she would pass. She let out a breath that she didn't know that she was holding. After straightening her posture to one of confidence, she proceeded into the room.

Iruka and another male sat at a table in the front of the room as she made her way to the middle. Her eyes fixed on the numerous hidden leaf headbands, and she knew right there that she refused to fail.

"Miyuki?"

She looked up, startled. "Y-yes?"

"This exam is on the clone jutsu. You have to make three clones."

An exasperated look crossed Miyuki's face. This was definitely a conspiracy. When Iruka sent her a questioning look, she plastered on her best smile. She formed the hand signs, closing her eyes. One clone she could handle, but three? She utilized triple the amount of chakra, causing smoke to appear beside her.

She looked at the smoke with a hopeful desperation. When the smoke cleared, she saw a perfect clone. Punching the air in victory, she giggled… until the other two clones were revealed. The second clone had no upper body whatsoever. The third clone had no lower body.

Her eye twitched, and she stole a glance at Iruka and the other male. Iruka's eye twitched much like her own; the other male held an impassive face.

"You fail," Iruka said in a controlled voice.

"But—"

"I'm sorry, Miyuki, but you could not produce three _perfect_ clones. You are an excellent student, but I'm afraid that I can't pass you if you can't master such a simple jutsu."

"Is there any way that I can pass?" Miyuki whispered, not trusting her voice.

"You can take this test two more times."

She nodded, looking at the headbands once more before leaving. When she closed the door, angry tears began to spill out of her eyes. She couldn't believe that she failed. All of her hard work was worthless because she couldn't adequately wield her chakra. She swiped at the tears, unwilling to let anyone to see her displaying such a weakness. Her tears, however, didn't cease.

Miyuki stormed out of the front doors of the academy, ignoring the stares from the numerous people who had already passed the test. Her mind was clouded by the grief and fury of being a failure.

Her feet were moving of their own accord, and she didn't realize that she had walked over to the large tree across from the academy until she was sitting against it. She didn't have the will to move, so she pulled her legs up to her chest and buried her face in her knees. Her body rocked from her sobs as she spilled out all of her frustrations.

0-0

"Leave me alone!" A young voice yelled, dragging her from her slumber.

'_I know that voice….'_

"Your parent's aren't coming to save you. Don't you see? They left you to die. You're lucky that the orphanage took you in because no one else would have."

"Liar! Get off me!"

Miyuki groggily raised her head from her knees. When had she fallen asleep? Her eyes took a few moments to adjust to the sunlight that filtered through the leaves. She used the backs of her hands to wipe her eyes, confused when she felt the sensation of dried tears. _'That's right, I failed the test.'_ Her thoughts were disturbed by a shout.

"I said leave me alone!"

Her head snapped up at the voice. It was Naruto! Instantly, she was alert, leaving all traces of sleepiness behind. She saw four boys that were around her age, surrounding someone in front of the school. She jumped to her feet and ran to the boys, knowing that Naruto was the one that they were crowding. "Get away from him!"

Two boys turned to face her, exposing the other two holding onto Naruto's arms. Their expressions changed from surprised to smug. "Stay outta it if you know what's good for you." They turned back to Naruto.

A weak human growl escaped Miyuki. She was more than pissed and the bullies only further irritated her. How dare they turn their back on her like she was insignificant?

Her fist collided with the back of one of the boy's head, unbalancing him. The two who were holding Naruto loosened their grip slightly, and Miyuki told him to run. Naruto did as he was told, allowing Miyuki to focus on the guys without a distraction.

She wasted no time to dodge an oncoming punch from one of the guys, turning her back to the one that she had assaulted moments earlier. She fell on her bottom after the boy behind her swept her feet from under her. It was followed by a kick to the gut that had her clutching her stomach in pain.

"That was payback for hitting me." The male grabbed her brown ponytail, yanking it up so that she was forced to meet his dark glare. "And this-" he punched her in the face, snapping her head to the side. "-is for letting the brat get away."

Miyuki panicked as stars flicked through her vision momentarily. Fear always consumed her when someone grabbed her hair. "Get your filthy hands off of me," she choked out. Her deep blue eyes looked into his brown ones.

"And if I don't?" The boy laughed in a mocking manner.

She struggled, hitting him in the gonads in the process. The boy fell to his knees, grabbing himself. She jumped to her feet, a dizzy spell falling over her. The other three boys went on the offense. Numerous punches and kicks were delivered to her person, causing her to shield her face with both arms. There was no way that she could beat all of them, but she could hold her ground.

"Stop!" an adult male's voice boomed, halting the attacks. "Have you no morals? Attacking a girl—what is wrong with you?"

The three boys scattered, leaving their friend behind to tend to his delicacies.

"Miyu-chan!" Naruto yelled, running up to Miyuki. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she panted out a lie. There was no need to have the child worry for her; she would live. She fell to her knees and grabbed her spinning head with a groan.

"Are you hurt?" the man asked, walking over to her.

"I'm alright," she hissed out.

"What happened here?" The man reached a hand out to Miyuki's face, lightly touching her cheek.

She flinched from the pain of the contact; more stars appeared in her vision. "Nothing, let's just forget about the whole thing."

"Are you sure that you don't want to get checked out at the hospital?"

"I'm alright, and I was about to take Naruto here to get some ramen." She stood slowly, ruffling Naruto's hair.

"Ichiraku Ramen?"

"Yeah." Miyuki walked slowly, praying that the ground would stop spinning.

"I happen to own the shop. Come on, I'll get you some ice, and the meal is on me."

"Thanks." She walked behind the shop owner, hoping that he wouldn't notice her grimacing. She put a hand on her aching stomach. _'Stupid boy, kicking me.' _She hobbled along with Naruto at her side. When his large blue eyes looked up at her apologetically, she forced a smile. "Don't worry about it, it wasn't your fault."

They finally arrived at the shop, sending Miyuki to a barstool. She put her hurting head on the table, trying to stop dizziness. She wrapped her arms around her aching stomach.

"Miyu-chan, are you alright?" Naruto's piercing voice penetrated her brain.

She moaned before opening an eye to the young boy. "Can you please keep it down? I'm fine; just eat," she weakly prompted.

"Sorry," Naruto murmured, dejectedly.

"You have nothing to apologize for." She sighed, not meaning for Naruto to feel bad.

"Hey, did you pass your test thingy? Are you a ninja now?"

Her eyes widened. She didn't remember telling him that she had to take her test today. Great, just add the mental anguish to the physical pain. Now she had a great recipe. "No." She forced down the tears that threatened to leak. She would not cry in front of Naruto.

"Don't be sad, Miyu-chan, you will get it the next time. You just have to believe in yourself."

Miyuki grinned. Naruto was really something. She turned her dark blue gaze to the child, chuckling at how adorable he was.

"Miyu, your arms are turning dark."

She looked down at her caramel skin. Indeed, her arms were starting to show the bruises. "They are." She closed her eyes quickly when another wave of vertigo hit her. Her world went black and she fell out of the barstool.

**Chapter End**

Reviews are greatly appreciated


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